All language subtitles for Law.Order.Special.Victims.Unit.S18E18.Spellbound.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H265-SiGMA_track3_[eng]

- In the criminal
justice system,

sexually-based offenses are
considered especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the special victims unit.

These are their stories.

[dramatic musical sting]

- Last chance.
I can still pick up some steaks,

crack open
a nice bottle of wine.

- Steven, we do that
all the time.

- Oh, well, call me crazy,
but I like hanging out at home

with you.
- I know you don't get it,

but I need to do this...

For me.

And everyone says it's amazing.

- Do what you have to do,
but if you change your mind,

I'll happily make room
for you on the couch.

- I'll see you tomorrow.

♪♪

De Anima.

[elevator dings]

- De Anima?

[exotic music plays]

♪♪

- How's it going, everyone?

I'm Declan,

and, uh, I'm thrilled
that you're all here.

How 'bout we start?

And don't worry,

I always get
a little nervous too.

[light laughter]

My friends,
we're here to take

an amazing journey.

One that will connect you
to your deeper self...

And to each other.

And if you open
your souls to it,

tonight will change your life.

- Buckle your seatbelt.

- Here's to nothing.
- You mean here's to everything.

- No, no, no, no,
this is a bad idea.

Let's just go.
I'll be okay.

- No, no,
we're doing this, okay?

Wait here.

- Here it is.
- Uh, excuse me?

- Hi, can I help you?
- Yeah, my girlfriend, Abby--

I think she was raped.

- Okay, I'm sorry to hear that.
- She's kind of in shock.

She went to this spiritual
retreat last night.

That's where it happened.

- Okay, well,
you did the right thing

by bringing her here.
- Yeah, she's--she's out here.

- Abby?

I'm Lieutenant Benson.

Your boyfriend said that--

that you think you were
sexually assaulted last night?

- [sobbing] I can't believe
I even went to that thing.

I should've known better.

- Okay, the only person to blame
is the one who did this to you.

So do you--do you know
who that is?

- Yeah.

His name's Declan Trask.

He's a--

he's a healer.

He was supposed to
change my life.

- [inhales, exhales slowly]

[dramatic music]

♪

- I was at an Ayahuasca retreat.

- I'm sorry?
A what retreat?

- Ayahuasca.
It's a drug from Peru.

It's been a big thing.
Causes hallucinations

that are supposed to give you
insights to life.

- That's why I went.

I was trying to figure
some stuff out, you know.

- Uh, you were on, um, Ayahuasca
when you were assaulted?

- No, I didn't take it.

I got scared.

- Okay, so when was the assault?

- Probably around 12:30.

- And what is the meditation
room exactly?

- It's a white bedroom
with yoga mats.

While everyone was tripping,
I went in there to be alone.

That's where Declan found me.

- Okay, and Declan Trask
runs these retreats?

- Yeah, he's supposed to be

the best at guiding people
while they take the drug.

- What happened next?

- He gave me a cup of water,

and I felt really strange
after drinking it.

- Strange how?
- Like I was dizzy.

I--I couldn't think straight.

My--my limbs went really heavy.

- Okay, do you think he put
Ayahuasca in the water?

- No, no, no,
I would've seen it or tasted it.

It's like a thick brown sludge.

- So maybe he put
another drug in there?

- He must have.

It was like I was in
another place, or realm.

I--he just kept
talking and talking.

The next thing I knew,
he had my pants down.

He was inside me.

- And you did not consent
to any of this?

- No, I was so disoriented.
It was like I--

I wanted to scream
and tell him to get off of me,

and I couldn't,
like I was paralyzed.

It was awful
feeling so powerless.

- I'm so sorry.

- I told everyone
that I was going,

that it was going to be
this amazing

life-altering experience.

- Well, you couldn't have
known this was gonna happen.

- So Abby, right now I think we
should get you to the hospital

to do a rape kit
and a tox screen, okay?

You're all right.

- So I get to Peru,
and I'm broken--

I mean, a mess of a human.

And my guide there asks me,

"Who do you expect to find
on the other side?"

And the sad thing is
I had no idea.

Now I want you do me a favor.

When you go home tonight,

I want you to look
in the mirror,

and I mean really look.

And I want you to ask yourself,

are you realizing
your fullest potential?

- Why do I get the feeling
this guy's shoes

cost more than my rent?
- Because they do.

Dude comes from real money.

His dad's that hedge fund guy,
Tate Trask.

- And look what I pulled.

- "From notorious party boy

"to Shaman of
the rich and famous,

"Declan Trask changed his life,

"and now he wants to
change yours.

"A host of followers who pay

$5,000 for a weekend with him
say that he can."

- There's a sucker born
every minute.

- Yeah, but everybody
needs something.

My ex made me go on a Reiki
retreat to clear my energy.

- And how'd that work out
for ya?

- It made me realize
it was time for us to break up.

- [laughs] Okay.
- [chuckles]

- You ever do anything
like that, Liv?

- Uh, no.
Anyone who claims

that they can change your life
in a weekend can't.

So Rollins and Carisi,
talk to the Shaman

to get his side of the story.

♪

- Hey, if this is about
the Ayahuasca,

I'm licensed to distribute it
as part of a religious ceremony,

The Church of Brazil.
I know it sounds ridiculous.

- We're not here
about the drugs, Mr. Trask.

- Do you know her?
- Well, that's Abby,

Abby Clarke.
She came to one of my retreats.

Is she okay?
- She was sexually assaulted.

- What? Oh, that's awful.

When did that happen?
- The night of your retreat.

In fact, she says
it happened right here.

- And do you know
anything about that?

- Mm, no.

Well, I hope
she's not suggesting

that what we did together--

- What--what did
you two do together?

- We had sex.

But I don't--I don't know

how she could possibly
think it was rape.

I mean, there's gotta be
some misunderstanding.

- Okay, so help us clear it up.
What happened in your words?

- Well, Abby didn't wanna
take the Ayahuasca.

You know, it can be
intimidating for beginners.

I totally understand that.

So I just sat with her
for a while.

We meditated, and then talked.

- And had sex?
- Well, uh, yeah.

I--I'd like to think
it was a little more

meaningful than that.

- True love?
Is that what you're saying?

- Uh, I'm saying,
like, I liked her,

she liked me, and,
you know, we connected.

I'm truly baffled.

I--I don't know if she had
a change of heart,

or if she feels guilty,

but in that moment,
um, there's no doubt.

We had really positive
consensual sex,

and she said yes.
- She said yes?

All right, well, that doesn't
really mean a whole lot

when a woman's incapacitated.

- Mm, what are
you talking about?

- Abby thinks she was drugged.

- What? By me?
That's ridiculous.

- [chuckles] Really? Really?
It's ridiculous to think

that a man who gives out
drugs for a living

might actually drug somebody?

- I would never drug someone
without their knowledge, ever.

- So just to be clear,
you didn't put anything

into Abby's water?
- No.

- Well, Abby says she was
drugged in the meditation room,

so maybe you can show us that?
We'll take a look around?

- Not a problem.
Come right this way.

We had a moment of passion,
of spiritual connectivity.

- That's not how Abby
felt about it.

- But if you're so confident
nothing illegal happened here,

then you won't mind giving us
a sample of your DNA, right?

- Sure.
- We'll also need all the names

of the people that were at
your retreat last night.

- [sighs] Names?
Look, I'm sorry,

but my clients come to me

with a certain
expectation of privacy,

and I can't betray that.

- That's fine.
We'll get a warrant.

- The retreat was fantastic.

I feel like
I'm a different woman;

I feel like
I see things differently.

Before I met Declan,
there was a void.

It was like
something was missing.

- Well, you're not
missing a view.

This place is something else.
- Thank you.

So why are you here?

- There was an incident
that took place

with one of the guests.

Abby Clarke.
- Oh, yes.

Oh, she was the one
that Declan was obsessed with.

He kept talking with her;
he kept asking her questions.

- And when was this?
- I would say around 8:00,

right before we took
our Ayahuasca journey.

- Do you remember them together
after your journey?

- Oh, I could not tell you
anything about that,

but what I do remember
is this amazing vision.

So I was walking on
this clear blue sea

with the almighty mother plant,

and this giant owl
is flying overhead.

It's just--just hovering,

just watching.

And then when I got closer,

I realized the owl
was actually me.

- Okay.

I'm happy for you.

- Yeah, I remember Abby.

She decided not to drink
the magic tea.

Wish I did the same.
I spent half the night puking.

- You remember
spending any time alone

with, uh, Declan Trask?

- Let's just say the Shaman
focused most of his soul-mending

on the good looking ladies,
especially Abby.

- Do you remember her going
into the meditation room

around midnight?
- Yeah.

Uh, I was sitting near Declan,
and he mentioned

he was disappointed
she didn't take the Ayahuasca.

- He was disappointed?
- He said he wanted to make sure

she got her money's worth,
whatever that means.

Next thing I know, he's walking
into the meditation room

with a glass of water.

- You see him put anything
in that glass of water?

- No, but he could've.

If you ask me,
the guy's a con artist,

total waste of time and money.

- Did you see either of them
leave that room?

- Nah, I was too busy
horking in the bathroom

to see much of anything.

You're not gonna bust me for
doing the Ayahuasca, are you?

- No, no, you're good.

Sounds like you already
paid the piper for that.

♪

- I just wanna tell these people

how good my burger was
last night.

- [chuckles] I actually
ate here last week.

The raw Portobello fries?
They're not so bad.

- Since when are you
a raw food guy?

- I'm trying new things.
- Ah.

You ever gonna bring her around?

- Hi, I'm Valerie.

You wanted to talk about
Declan's retreat?

- Yeah, yeah,
I'm, uh, Detective Rollins.

This is Detective Carisi.
- Yeah, we were just wondering

if you saw or heard anything
out of the ordinary last night?

- Well, it was, uh,
definitely out of the ordinary.

Ayahuasca always is.

- Uh, do you remember
seeing Declan, uh, Trask

go into the meditation room
maybe around midnight?

- I--I think
I remember him leaving.

Yeah, I--I walked by.

There was this woman, Abby,
sitting alone inside.

She was crying.

- Did you talk to her,
uh, to see what was wrong?

- I just assumed
they were cathartic tears.

- Uh, cathartic tears?

- Well, half of us were crying
from the Ayahuasca.

It provides this beautiful,
joyous pain,

you know what I mean?
- I don't.

- Oh, you're a skeptic.
That's--that's fine.

- When was the last time
you saw Abby?

- Mm, 20 minutes later.
She was leaving.

- And how'd she seem to you?

- Actually,
she was upset, angry.

- Guess her pain
wasn't so joyous, huh?

According to witnesses,

Trask had his eye on Abby
the whole night.

- And he was hellbent
on getting her

to take that drug too.

- Okay, so he gets
a vulnerable woman,

convinces her to trust him,

drugs her,
and then he assaults her.

- Wouldn't be the first
to utilize that game plan.

- Rape kit
and the tox results are in.

Semen is a match to Trask,
but there's a problem, Liv.

- What's up?

- No drugs, no Ayahuasca,
no alcohol.

- So Abby's story
doesn't add up.

What are we missing?

[sighs]

- So Abby, we got
your tox screen back,

and it came back negative.

- What?
No drugs?

No--no,
this doesn't make any sense.

I was disoriented;
I was frozen.

- Right, well, it is possible
that that's just the way

that your body reacted
to the trauma.

- What do you mean?

- Well, there's something called
tonic immobility.

And sometimes,
when you're under attack,

or being assaulted,

your brain can send
a message to your body

that tells it to shut down,
to--to freeze,

and it--it happens in a flash.
It's automatic,

and it's beyond
conscious control.

- No, I get it, but--

no, I felt that way
before he assaulted me.

- Now you said that you went
into the meditation room...

- He came in;

he gave me a glass of water;

I drank it;
and then he told me to relax.

- Okay.
- He said he wanted to take me

to the sixth plane
of enlightenment.

- And then what happened?

- He kept saying that
"When you look at me,

you might find yourself
enveloped by a warm feeling."

And the next thing I knew,
I--I felt so weird.

It was like I was there,
but I wasn't.

And...
- It's okay.

It's okay.
Just keep going.

- And he just kept whispering...

"You look like
a beautiful ragdoll."

And that's how I felt.

Totally powerless.

I had no control over my body.

I've never felt
that way before, ever.

- The tox screen was negative,

but she still feels like
she was drugged?

- Well, we all know Rohypnol
can leave your system

within a matter of hours.

I mean, a--a vic urinates,
it's gone.

- Well, that's certainly
possible,

but she seems to remember
exactly what happened.

- I don't know.
She was affected by something.

- Is she on
any kind of medication?

Does she show signs
of mental illness?

- It doesn't appear that way.

I mean, she seems like a high-
functioning young woman to me.

- Is it possible
she has another agenda?

Trask is rich.
- I don't see that either.

I mean,
she is a successful publicist,

and her boyfriend is
a partner in a law firm.

- We need more evidence.
- Like a previous victim?

I've been digging into Trask,

and I found a civil case
filed in 2014.

A woman named Rachel Sykes
accused him of rape.

- In New York?
- No, in Paramus, New Jersey,

but the case was dropped.
- Rachel Sykes willing to talk?

- That's unclear.
Can't really find her.

Last known address
was a dead end.

Last place of employment--
they couldn't help either.

- Okay, so keep looking.
I mean, talk to the lawyer,

and let's see
what we can find out.

[dramatic music]

- Rachel Sykes, good woman.

Had a solid case
against that clown Trask, too.

- Did she go to the police?
- She went to Jersey PD.

Got a rape kit, the whole deal.

- Okay, why didn't they go
forward with it?

- She told the cops
he roofied her.

She was adamant.

- And let me guess,
her tox screen came back normal?

- How did you know?

- So what happened
with the lawsuit?

- Rachel got tired
of fighting Trask.

She spiraled,
fell into a depression,

quit her job,
moved back to Ohio,

and then...
- What happened?

- Pancreatic cancer.

Diagnosis three months later.
Lights out.

- That's awful.
I'm sorry.

- So I'm guessing you're here,

because Trask did it again,
am I right?

- Well, let's just say
it's not a coincidence.

- Right, well, I'll shut up,

and let Rachel tell you
what happened.

- It was after one of his talks.

He had invited some people
up to his hotel suite.

Next thing you know,
I'm alone with him.

He said he wanted to show me a--
a new meditation technique.

- Did he make you a drink?

- No, I didn't wanna drink
any of his special tea,

so he gave me a water.

I drank it, and I started
feeling really disoriented.

- Then what happened?

- He was massaging my temples,

telling me to relax.

He said he wanted to take me

to the sixth plane
of enlightenment.

The more he kept talking,

the more I felt myself
drifting away,

and it felt good.

I remember he kept whispering,

"You're a beautiful ragdoll."
- Even ragdoll.

- Okay, we've heard
all this before.

- What happened next?
- He--

he picked up my arm,
and dropped it.

I was limp.
I had no control.

Then he pushed up my skirt,
and he raped me.

I wanted him to stop,
but I felt so out of it.

[sobs]

I was helpless.

- Let's take a break.

- Okay, this is
horrifyingly familiar.

- And she was tested for
drugs and alcohol.

She was totally clean,
just like Abby.

- Maybe he put something
undetectable in the water.

- I think he slipped something
undetectable in his words.

Neuro-linguistic programming.
- Neuro-linguistic what?

- Are you suggesting
that she was hypnotized?

- Exactly.

- It seems possible.

I mean, the victims' stories
are basically the same.

The way he talked to him,
massaging their temples.

I mean, the elements
are all there.

- Well, hold on,
isn't hypnotism,

like, a carnival trick, though?

This seems out there to me.

- Uh, my cousin quit smoking
with hypnotherapy.

He was a pack-a-day guy.

One session with a hypnotist--
bang--he was clean.

- In Brooklyn,
I had a hypnosis case.

One of my first
sexual assault trials--lost--

broke the record
for fastest felony acquittal.

We made a strong case,
but the judge never bought in.

- And if the judge doesn't buy
it, then the jury does the math.

- Trust me.

I know this sounds crazy,
but I've seen this.

Trask used common
hypnotherapeutic methods

on both those women.

How do we prove it?
- We can't use Rachel Sykes.

That criminal case
was never filed.

The civil suit was dismissed.

- There's no way
a judge allows that in.

- Well, hold on, so we get into
this case another way.

- First, we have to
prove that Trask

knowingly used hypnosis
to rape Abby.

- Which means we need evidence

that Trask even knows
how to hypnotize.

- Well, he must've learned
how to do it somewhere.

- Yeah, so start digging.

[dramatic music]

- Class dismissed.
- Excuse me, Professor.

I'm Detective Carisi.
This is Detective Rollins.

Do you remember a student
of yours named Declan Trask?

- Actually,
I remember Declan Trask well.

- He stood out?
- His father did.

Gave lots of money.
- According to his website,

he graduated here
with a degree in Communications.

- Yeah, we'd like to
see those transcripts.

- You're welcome to take a look,
but, uh, it's a quick read.

Declan Trask was kicked out
his junior year.

- For what?
- I can't discuss that.

- Oh, we're prepared
to get a warrant

for any transcripts or records
we might need to build our case.

- Yeah, or you could
just save us some time,

and help us bury
a sexual predator.

- Declan had
a serious drug problem.

We did everything we could
to support him,

but we had no choice
but to expel him.

- Where'd he go
after you gave him the boot?

- An addiction facility
in the Hamptons

called, uh, The Springs.

- Hm.

- I spoke to Declan
two weeks ago.

- You stayed in touch?
- We did.

The bonds that form here
can be pretty strong.

Addicts often rely on
each other,

even after we're sober.
- What kinda techniques

did you use to help him
kick his habit?

- Without being too specific,
uh, I used hypnosis.

- How long did you see him for?
- We were together for 60 days.

By the end,
if he even thought about heroin,

he'd physically gag.

So, uh, what is this about?

- Well, we think he may be
using hypnosis techniques

to--to sexually assault women.

- You don't seem surprised.

- Look, Declan and I have
a close relationship,

but I know who he is.

And frankly,
what he's doing now--

handing out Ayahuasca--

he's just another dealer
peddling drugs.

Never sat well with me.

- Did you teach Trask
how to hypnotize people?

- Yeah, he said he wanted to
help others, to pay it forward,

so I taught him
everything I know.

- Huh, well,
are you willing to help us now?

- Listen, I understand
he's your friend,

but the guy is
a sexual predator.

He needs to be stopped.

- I don't know what to do,
where to turn.

It's a nightmare.

- What's going on?

- I can trust you,
right, Declan?

- [sighs]
You saved my life, man.

Yeah, whatever it is,
it stays between us.

- I was with a patient
a few days ago.

Attractive woman.

Suffers from a destructive
opioid addiction.

- Are you using hypnotherapy?
- Yeah, a lot of basic sessions

on changing
her subconscious patterns.

She's in my office

on the couch
in a complete trance state,

and the conversation
becomes very sexualized.

And I couldn't stop myself.

I--I sat down next to her,
and I--

- You crossed the line?

- I kissed her.

Then, thank God,
I stopped myself, but...

I didn't want to.

- Hypnosis doesn't make people
do something

they don't already wanna do,

so if she kissed you,
she wanted to.

- Sounds like
he's rationalizing.

- Can't rationalize rape.

- I feel horrible about it.

- Ah, don't beat yourself up.

- I took advantage
of this woman.

- It's--it's not taking
advantage of them.

Hypnosis--

sometimes, it leads to sex.
It happens.

- Come on, Declan,
are you saying

that you've used hypnosis
to have sex?

- Look, it's not a big deal.

I'm just helping a woman get
what she really wants.

- When's the last time
you did this?

- Uh...

[chuckles]
You know, I, uh--

[exhales sharply]
It's good to see you, buddy,

but I, uh--I gotta run.

- NYPD.
- What's going on?

- Look deep into my eyes.
You're under arrest.

- Let's go.

- With all due respect,

I think you guys
have got this wrong.

- So enlighten us.
Tell us what we're missing.

- I'm a healer, okay?

My work is intimate by nature,

and sometimes that intimacy
leads to sex.

Consensual sex.
That's it.

- Then if it was so consensual
and so simple,

why did she come down
to the precinct

and tell us you raped her?
- Great question.

I wish I knew the answer.

Look, I don't know,
maybe she had a change of heart,

or her boyfriend found out.
I don't know.

- So you didn't hypnotize Abby?

Put her into some sort
of a trance?

Incapacitate her in some way,
and then--and then assault her?

- I'm flattered you think
my words wield so much power,

but, you know, that's absurd.

- Well,
it didn't sound so absurd

when you were talking to
your friend Jack Roe.

- See, 'cause we have you
on tape

saying, "Hypnosis
can lead to sex.

"It's not a big deal.

I'm just helping a woman get
what she really wants."

- Uh, I wasn't speaking about
myself personally.

I was trying to
reassure a friend.

- What about Rachel Sykes?

Were you just trying to
reassure her too?

- [sighs]

I think it's best
if I talk to my attorney.

- If you lawyer up,
I can pretty much tell you

this is going to trial.

- Do you really think
a jury's gonna believe

that I--that me, Declan Trask,

hypnotized Abby to--to what,
to have sex with her?

- Well, A,
what you did wasn't sex.

That's called rape.
And B, yes,

I really think that
the jury will believe it.

So Fin, can you please escort
Mr. Declan Trask to Rikers?

[dramatic music]

- On the night of April 10th,

the defendant
sexually assaulted Abby Clarke.

He did not hold Ms. Clarke down.
He did not strike her.

He did not incapacitate her
with drugs or alcohol.

He incapacitated her
with his words.

He hypnotized her...

Rendering her powerless,
incapable of consent,

and then he raped her.

The defendant presents himself
as a healer.

The evidence will reveal
that he is in fact a predator.

- Good afternoon.

Mr. Barba's version of events
is frankly preposterous.

Declan Trask is a handsome,
charming, single man.

There was a mutual attraction
between he and Ms. Clarke.

They had sex that night.

The idea that
Declan used hypnosis

as a vehicle
to render Ms. Clarke

incapable of consent?

It's absurd.

His words may be soothing,
tantalizing,

even seductive,

but they can't make
someone do something

they do not want to do.

I implore you,
use your common sense,

and find him not guilty.

- When you stepped into the
meditation room around 11:55,

was anyone in there?
- No, it was empty.

What was your mental state?
- It was fine.

Happy, actually.

I was enjoying the retreat.

I just didn't wanna take
the Ayahuasca,

and so I went in there to think,

to meditate.

Then Declan,
the defendant, walked in.

- What happened next?

- He gave me a glass of water,

and we started talking.

He kept saying, "You might
find yourself at peace.

"You may find yourself
soothed by my voice.

"Can you imagine
how good you'll feel

while you listen to me?"

And after awhile,
I'd, um, became disoriented.

- What does that mean?

- It felt like I was in a dream.
I--I had no, uh,

control over my body.
- Mm-hmm.

- And then--

and then he started, uh--

pulled off my pants,

and put his--
he started having sex with me.

I was terrified.
I--I--

- Thank you.
Nothing further.

- Ms. Clarke,
you went to Mr. Trask's retreat

fully intending on having sex
with someone else, did you not?

- No--what--that's not true.

- Your Honor, I'd like to enter
defense Exhibit G,

the application
Ms. Clarke submitted

to attend Mr. Trask's retreat.

If you could read
from the top of the page.

- I'm sorry.
I--I can't do this.

- It's just one paragraph,
Ms. Clarke, and you wrote it.

- No, I--I won't.
Please.

- I apologize, Your Honor.
If we could take a short recess.

Ms. Clarke just--
she needs a moment.

- She doesn't get a moment
during my cross.

- Your Honor?
Please.

- You have 15 minutes.

Obviously, Mr. Barba,

you are not allowed
to converse with her

during this recess.

- Hey, what's going on?
Are you okay?

- Uh, it's--
it's just really hard.

- Hey, you mind coming with me
for just a second?

- Here, Abby.

- Now Trask's lawyer wants to
publically humiliate me?

After all this?
After what he did to me?

That's not right.
That's not fair.

- That's not fair, but look,

I know that this
threw you off guard,

but the fact is we went through
all of this in prep,

so you just gotta
trust the prep.

You are ready.
- I know, but I--

- Did you--
did you talk to Steven?

Did you give him a heads up?

- No, I tried three times.

I can't get back up
on that stand

and read that letter aloud.

It'll destroy him.
[whimpers]

It will destroy us.

I love him.

He stood by me through all this.

I just wanna be done.

- I know you do.

I understand.
This is an extremely painful

and difficult process.

But I just need you to know

that if you do choose
not to get up on the stand,

that--that Declan Trask
will walk free.

- Steven will never forgive me.

- Mm, the question is
will you forgive yourself

if you--if you give up now?

They are shaming you
into giving up.

You didn't do
anything wrong, Abby.

- If you could start
from the top of the page.

- "Ever since I was
a little girl in Alden, Iowa,

"I've been on a constant mission

"to be the best version
of myself,

"to create the perfect life

"with all its perfect trimmings.

"I feel like I'm so close to
achieving my dream.

"The one thing
that's holding me back

"is my relationship
with my boyfriend, Steven.

"I long to move forward;

"he longs to stay the same.

"I wanna explore.

"Instead of being lovers,
we're roommates.

I feel trapped."

- Please continue.

- "I'm not sure
that we connect anymore

"intellectually, spiritually,

or sexually."

- These are your words.
- Yes.

When I wrote them,
I was confused.

We had been fighting.
I was having doubts.

But I love him,
and I would never cheat on him.

- But you were in a rut,
looking to explore.

- Yes, that's true,
but this is--

- It's also true
that you had sex

with another man
at that retreat.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

- Steven, no, please, wait!

Steven...

- Nothing further.

- Given the late hour,
court's adjourned.

We'll pick it up
tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m.

- Your Honor,
can we meet in chambers?

A new piece of evidence
has come to light.

I'd like to enter
a cell phone audio recording

of the encounter between
Mr. Trask and Ms. Clarke.

- What?

- Mr. Trask often records
intimate encounters

to protect himself
from this very type of

fraudulent accusation.

- And you just discovered
this purported recording?

Please.

Your Honor,
she's trying to sandbag us.

- Settle down, Mr. Barba.

Let's hear the recording.

- I'm gonna lay down
next to you.

You're good with that, right?
- Yes.

- And when I lay down,

you'll be ready to go to the
sixth plane with me, won't you?

- I will.

- I'm gonna do it now.

You want me
to have sex with you?

- Yes, I do.

- A hypnotized woman
says yes to having sex.

Means nothing.
- To you.

But the jury,
I'm not so sure.

- Hey, just because the judge
ruled in my favor

doesn't mean I'm adverse
to making a deal.

- A deal?
- Sexual misconduct.

- [scoffs] A misdemeanor?
This is a class D felony.

Sexual abuse, first degree.

He admits to the hypnosis,
and he goes on the registry.

- Assault 2, no registry.

- You're considering her offer?

- The facts in this case
are less than ideal.

- No registry?
You cannot be serious.

- I can be pragmatic.
- Okay.

Well, have you talked to Abby?

- Yes.
- And?

- She wants to
let the jury decide.

- Well, there you go.
- It's not up to her.

- Based on
what she's been through.

I'm pretty sure I disagree.

- Based on
what she's been through,

I'm pretty sure
I don't wanna lose.

- So let's flip the script.
Let's lean into this.

Let's keep digging.
- And this means the jury

will hear that recording
of Abby saying yes.

- All we need to do is prove
that Trask hypnotized Abby,

and that "yes"
will mean nothing.

[dramatic music]

- I'm gonna lay down
next to you.

You're good with that, right?
- Yes.

- And when I lay down,

you'll be ready to go to the
sixth plane with me, won't you?

- I will.

- I'm gonna do it now.

You want me
to have sex with you?

- Yes.

- That's where
the recording ends.

That was your voice
on the audio file, Ms. Clarke.

- It was, but I--

- And you were saying
yes to sex.

That correct?
- I don't know.

I--I don't remember
saying any of that.

- I'm not asking
if you remember,

I'm asking if that was
your voice on that tape

saying yes to sex.

- I--I suppose it was.

- Nothing further.

- That was brutal.

So much for flipping the script.

Do we have
anything else on Trask?

- We're still digging.
- We're running out of time.

- Please tell me
that you found something.

- Yeah--yeah, something good.

Now it happened
18 years ago in Philly;

it's got nothing to do
with rape;

but it does go directly to
the heart of this case,

Trask's credibility.

- Proves he's a selfish coward.
That's for sure.

- Is the arresting officer
on board?

- Ready and willing.

- Do you think
you could get this in?

- If Trask takes the stand,
I'll find a way.

- He will.

He thinks he can hypnotize
the jury.

- Mr. Trask,
could you tell the jury

the purpose of
the retreats you host?

- Uh,
when you really break it down,

it's a weekend
where I try to help people

maximize their potential.
- And at the time in question,

when you were alone
with Ms. Clarke,

was she tense or upset?

- Both.
That's why I tried to relax her.

- How did you do that?

- With some simple
meditation techniques,

nothing fancy.

- And this led to sex?

- Yes.

Abby's a bright,
beautiful woman,

and we connected.

- Did you ask
Ms. Clarke's consent

before having sex?
- I did.

- And what did she say?
- She said yes.

- Like we heard on the tape.

Silly as this might sound,
I have to ask.

Did you hypnotize her
at any point?

- Of course not.
- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- You help broken people
become whole with your retreats?

- Yes, and sometimes I help
whole people become more whole.

- People pay you for this?
- Yes.

- But you don't keep
all of the money.

You give some of it
to your foundation.

- That's right.
- What does your foundation do?

- They provide safe
drinking water

to the poor
and impoverished nations.

- You save lives?
- I do, and I'm proud of it.

- As you should be.

Have you ever been
arrested for a crime?

- Never.
- Nothing further.

Your Honor, I'd like to call
a rebuttal witness,

Philadelphia Lieutenant
Richard Hill.

- Objection.
May I approach?

- Where are you going,
Mr. Barba?

- Uh, Lieutenant Hill arrested
the defendant 22 years ago.

- What the hell does that
have to do with this case?

- Everything.
It proves he's a liar,

and that he has no regard for
anyone but himself.

Thank you for coming,
Lieutenant Hill.

Where were you on the night of
June 8th, 1995?

- I was outside a residence
on 850 Pine Street,

investigating a car accident.

The driver had
pulled out of a driveway,

and slammed into a street light.

- And who was driving?
- Declan Trask.

- Do you see Mr. Trask
here in this courtroom?

- I do.
The defendant.

- And when you searched
Mr. Trask's car,

what'd you find?
- I found pills

and a gram of heroin
in the glove department.

- Did you arrest Mr. Trask
for possession of drugs?

- Objection.
That arrest was expunged.

- I'm introducing the arrest
for impeachment purposes only.

- Overruled.
Answer the question.

- Did you arrest Mr. Trask
for possession of drugs?

- I did.

- And what was Mr. Trask doing
at 850 Pine Street?

- He was there
shooting heroin with a friend,

a kid named Tom Denalo.

- Was Mr. Denalo
a passenger in Trask's car?

- No.
Upon inspection of the house,

I found Tom Denalo alone
in an upstairs bedroom.

- And what happened to him?

- He overdosed on heroin.

He, uh--
he died in my arms.

He was 19.

- So the defendant ran away
while his friend was dying?

- Yes.

- Nothing further.

Ladies and gentlemen, this whole
case comes down to one thing.

Credibility.

Is the defendant
a man of integrity?

Someone you can trust?

Based on the evidence
presented at trial,

the answer to both those
questions is a resounding no.

As Lieutenant Hill just told us,

when he had the chance
to save his friend's life,

the defendant ran away instead.

Based on the evidence
you've heard,

it's clear that the defendant

knowingly used hypnosis
to rape Ms. Clarke.

He didn't use simple charm.

He used a proven
neuro-linguistic technique

designed to disorient
and incapacitate.

He even confessed this

to his friend
and drug counselor, Jack Roe.

Hypnotizing a woman
is no different

than giving her
a date rape drug.

It renders the victim helpless,

and it makes her
legally incapable

of consenting to sex.

Therefore, the "yes" you heard

from Ms. Clarke
on the audio recording--

it--it's meaningless.

As such, you have a legal
and moral obligation

to find the defendant guilty.

- Has the jury
reached a verdict?

- We have, Your Honor.
- What say you?

- On the charge of rape
in the first degree,

we find the defendant guilty.

- We did it.

Congratulations.
- Yeah.

[exhales softly]

[indistinct murmuring]
- Let's go.

- Hey.
- Abby?

You okay?

- I don't know.

- You did a very brave thing.

- Thanks for believing in me.

I couldn't have done it
without your help.

- It was all you.

- Trask is going away
for a long time.

- Good.

I haven't heard from Steven
in three days.

He won't return my calls.

- Well, you know--

well, maybe he just needs
a little time, you know.

- I was looking so hard
for this amazing life.

- Look, Abby,
you did nothing wrong.

You were honest
about everything;

about your life,
about your relationship,

about Steven.

If you want him back,
fight for him.

But if he doesn't get it...

it's not worth the fight.

- Thank you again.
- Best of luck.

- Take care.

- Who knows?
Maybe it will all work out.

- Yeah, I hope so.